Teen Voices

Part: 7

'Seat at Table' Video: Calling Out Patriarchy

Even an Anita Hill T-shirt won't stop some men from catcalling, Zerlina Maxwell tells Dara Swan in part two of this dialogue in our occasional Teen Voices video series, "A Seat at the Table."

Zerlina Maxwell and Dara Swan.

Credit: Natalia Piskorski

(WOMENSENEWS)--Self-preservation is an important part of every activist's toolbox. To protect herself from being in a constant state of defense, political analyst and media commentatorZerlina Maxwell ignores the catcalls when she can. "That is most powerful self-care," she told Dara Swan. "I don't even let it go into my psyche."

And what happens when Maxwell can't ignore the whistles? She snaps back,"Patriarchy sucks," she told Dara, who helped organize the YWCA-NYC's "Potential to Power" Girl Symposium last week.

This conversation takes off from their discussion of pop culture influences in part one of this A Seat at the Table, an occasional Teen Voices series that brings together female leaders from the teen-adult worlds.

The final A Seat at the Table segment with Dara and Maxwell will be coming soon.

This story is part of Teen Voices at Women's eNews. In 2013 Women's eNews retained the 25-year-old magazine Teen Voicesto continue and further its mission to improve the world for female teens through media. Teen Voices at Women's eNewsprovides online stories and commentary about issues directly affecting female teens around the world, serving as an outlet for young women to share their experiences and views.

Katina Paron is the managing editor of Teen Voices and director of the NYC High School Journalism Collaborative at Baruch College. Follow her at @KatinaParon.